UNY continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting sustainable campus initiatives through the use of renewable energy. One concrete step is the installation of solar-cell panels in the corridor connecting the Faculty of Education UNY (FIP).

These solar panels are installed to capture sunlight and convert it into electricity that is then used for lighting needs in the corridor area. With this clean-energy utilisation, UNY hopes to reduce its dependence on fossil-based energy while also reducing carbon emissions. The installation of solar energy is expected to become a renewable energy project using environmentally friendly energy within the UNY campus. Moving forward, capacity and utilisation of solar panels will continue to be increased so as to support the campus’s electrical needs more broadly.

Beyond being a source of green energy, the presence of solar cells in the connecting corridor also has an educational function. Students, lecturers, and the public can learn directly about the application of renewable-energy technology within the campus environment. This supports UNY as a “living laboratory” that provides real learning experiences for the academic community. The Director of Infrastructure, Facilities and Assets (Prasarana, Sarana, Aset) at UNY, Prof. Slamet Widodo, explained that this solar-cell installation is not only beneficial for energy efficiency but also a manifestation of UNY’s commitment to sustainability principles. “We want to show that the campus can be an example in utilising environmentally friendly energy. Besides being economical, this technology also teaches our academic community the importance of caring for the environment,” he said.

The solar panels installed have a capacity of 1 kWp (kilowatt peak) and are used as a source of electricity for the corridor lighting. With this installation, UNY not only saves electricity consumption from the conventional grid, but also contributes to reducing carbon emissions on campus. In the future, all corridors that are built will be equipped with similar solar panels. This move also aligns with UNY’s efforts to improve its ranking in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a global ranking of universities assessing campus commitment to environmental sustainability. Use of solar cells becomes a concrete indicator in the energy and climate change category in the GreenMetric assessment.